Flame
by unshakespearean
Summary: ON HIATUS. Second in the Fire series. Follows newlyweds Sherlock and John, and of course six-year-old genius Annalise. Taking prompts! Cover image of Annalise goes to my dear friend WingedKcat!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"Alright then, Annalise! Excited for first grade?"

"John, what makes you think that there's even a _remote _possibility that I could be excited for _school _of all things?"

"You came racing down the stairs in your uniform and ate breakfast at lightning speed," John explained, similar to the way Sherlock and Annalise did when they made deductions.

"I could've been excited to see Maddie; we're taking her with us," Annalise argued.

"Oh, so you _are _excited for school," John said with a triumphant smirk. "You said _could've_."

Annalise and Sherlock exchanged a look of pride, and Sherlock got up from his chair to lay a hand on John's shoulder. "You're getting good," he praised.

"Glad you think so," John replied, pressing a quick kiss to Sherlock's cheek. Annalise sighed and rolled her eyes. Ever since her dads had gotten married, the amount of time wasting had doubled. And she was, as a matter of fact, quite excited for school. "Alright, Annalise, I'm coming. Bye, Sherlock."

"See you later, John. Annalise?" Sherlock held his arms out expectantly, and his daughter reluctantly walked into them. "Have a good day, Annalise. I love you." He pressed a quick kiss into her hair.

"Yeah, I love you too," she muttered, wriggling out of his grip. She left to take John's hand. "Time for first grade!"

* * *

"Good morning!" A woman in her mid-thirties with very dark brown hair and bright green eyes and a Welsh accent smiled at John, Annalise, and Maddie. "I'm Yvonne Pallister. You three are bright and early, aren't you? First ones here."

"John Watson. Nice to meet you," John grinned as he shook her hand. "And this-"

"We can introduce ourselves," Annalise piped up. "I'm Annalise Watson-Holmes. Nice to meet you." She grinned, able to tell right away that her new teacher would be far more interesting and less annoying than Mrs. Thomson, her teacher from last year.

"I'm Maddie Johnson," Maddie said. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Pallister."

"It's _Ms. _Pallister, actually," Ms. Pallister corrected.

"She's not married yet," Annalise explained. She pointed to Ms. Pallister's left hand. "See? Engagement ring, no wedding ring." She turned to wave goodbye to John, who had quietly excused himself to go to work.

"Very clever," Ms. Pallister remarked, also waving goodbye to John. "And is Maddie short for Madeline? I have a Madeline on my list." She pronounced it Madeline with a long _i_.

The brown-haired six-year-old shook her head. "Madeline with a short _i_," she explained. "But I tell people to call me Maddie for short. So nobody gets it wrong."

"I'll be sure to call you Maddie, then. And what about you, Annalise. Do you have a nickname?"

"No," Annalise shook her head. "Just Annalise with a long _ah_."

"Annalise with a long _ah_ and Madeline with a short _i_. Two girls with very interesting names." Ms. Pallister smiled. "How long have you girls been friends? You seem very close."

"We met in October," Maddie replied. "Annalise joined my kindergarten class a month late and we became best friends on her very first day."

"And who did you have for kindergarten?" Ms. Pallister asked.

"Mrs. Thomson," Maddie replied quickly, knowing that Annalise would probably say something nasty about their former teacher.

Ms. Pallister's lips pursed. "Yes, Mrs. Thomson."

Annalise grinned. "You don't like her either." It wasn't a question.

"Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say _that-_" Annalise raised an eyebrow. "…Well, what did you two think of her?"

Maddie shrugged. "I didn't mind her much, but Annalise-"

"She was dull," Annalise stated plainly. "And mawkish."

Ms. Pallister's eyes widened. "How do you know that word, Annalise?"

"Same way she knew you were Ms. Pallister and not Mrs. Pallister," Maddie explained. "She's brilliant. Smartest kid you'll ever meet, probably."

"Yeah, but what's more important is that you agree with me. Had you not, you'd have said something like 'Do you even know what that means' or 'I don't think that that's very nice' or something along one or both of those lines. But you were more focused on how I knew the word than the fact that I'd insulted Mrs. Thomson, implying that that's what mattered more to you, which means that you either agree with me or are trying to brush me off, and seeing that you pursed your lips earlier, agreement is much more likely; moreover, I can already tell that you're not one to brush children off like that. Therefore, you agree with me." Annalise gave her classic Post-Deduction Triumphant Smirk.

Ms. Pallister sighed. "You certainly are clever. But you can't tell anyone that, alright? It's not right to show such low opinions of one's colleagues."

"Our secret," Annalise said, extending her pinky.

"You know words like 'mawkish' and can reason at beyond adult levels, and yet you still do pinky swears," Ms. Pallister mused. "I suppose that's what they mean when they say _child _prodigy." And she accepted the pinky swear. "No crosses count."

Annalise wiggled the fingers of her other hand. They broke apart just as the first couple of children arrived. "Let's get this party started!"

* * *

A few hours later, Ms. Pallister's first-grade class was playing on the playground.

"Let's go to the merry-go-round," Maddie said as she took Annalise's hand. "We can pretend that it's the TARDIS console!"

"Good idea," Annalise grinned, and they ran over to the spinning structure, singing the Doctor Who theme song as they did.

They had reached the merry go round and started playing on it, still singing, when they heard a voice from behind them say, "Excuse me, but was that the Doctor Who theme song you were singing?" They turned to see a little girl with blond hair.

"You know Doctor Who?!" Annalise said excitedly.

"It's my favorite show! I'm Isabella, but you can call me Izzy."

"Nice to meet you," Annalise grinned. "I'm Annalise and that's Maddie."

"Hi!" Maddie waved. "Annalise, let's park the TARDIS so we can talk. I want to know who Izzy's favorite companion is and all that stuff."

"Okay," Annalise grinned, and she pretended to park. "Okay, now we can talk. So who's your favorite Doctor and companion?"

"Probably Tom Baker and Sarah Jane Smith… Do you two watch classic Doctor Who?"

"No," Annalise said sadly. "I don't have much time, unfortunately. When I'm not in school I'm usually doing stuff with my dads."

"Well then we'll just talk about the new series. And I like all three of them, really. My favorite's got to be either Amy or Martha. Or Jack."

"I _love _Jack!" Maddie exclaimed. "I named my dog after Jack!"

"You like Martha?" Annalise asked. "I like her, but she's definitely not my favorite."

"Let me guess, your favorite's Rose," Izzy sighed. Annalise nodded. "I love Rose, don't get me wrong, but I love Martha too. Everyone hates her and it's not fair."

"I don't hate her!" Annalise argued. "What about Donna, do you like her?"

"I _love_ Donna! She's so funny! I think it'd be really cool if Donna, Martha, and Rose were all on the TARDIS with the Doctor."

"Yeah, me too," Maddie piped up. "I like 11 and Amy and Rory, too. But not River."

"River's so-so," Izzy replied. "The one I really hate is _Clara_. _Tell _me you don't like _Clara_."

"Can't stand her," Annalise assured her, Maddie nodding in agreement. "It's like, the Doctor had Rose, yay, and then River, eh, and then Clara, ugh."

"Rose's definitely my favorite, like romance-wise," Izzy agreed. "Who's your favorite, Maddie?"

"Oh, that's sooo hard. Probably Donna or Rose, or Jack."

"Okay, next question," Izzy grinned. "Rory or Mickey? Who do you like better?"

"Both," Maddie said. "Total tie."

"Yeah, tie," Annalise agreed.

"Tie for me, too," Izzy grinned. "Anyway, whose class were you in last year?"

"Mrs. Thomson," Maddie replied. "What about you?"

"I had Mrs. Freeman. She was really nice. I liked her a lot."

"I didn't like Mrs. Thomson," Annalise muttered. "She was boring."

"Annalise calls a lot of things boring," Maddie explained.

"A lot of things are boring," the redhead argued. "Pretty much everything, really. Except Doctor Who and solving mysteries and my friends and family and my cat, Rose."

"Rose after Rose Tyler?" Izzy asked.

"Obviously," Annalise grinned.

"And did you say solving mysteries?" Izzy's interest was perked.

"One of my dads is a detective," Annalise explained. "My other dad and I help him _all_ the time."

"You have two dads? Cool! Are they nice?"

"The best in the world," Annalise replied.

"So which one's like your real dad? Your bio… bio…"

"Biological dad?" Annalise checked. Izzy nodded. "Neither. I'm adopted."

"Oh, cool!" Izzy grinned. "My little sister Sylvia is adopted from China. She's only a baby. She's soooo cute. But she cries a lot."

"Babies do that," Maddie grinned. "I have an older stepbrother named Sean. He's mean."

"I'm an only child," Annalise piped up. "And I'm happy that way."

"Well, that's cool. I say cool a lot, don't I?" Izzy tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear

"I don't mind it," Annalise smiled. "_You're_ cool. Definitely not boring."

"In Annalise's world, that's a _huge_ honor," Maddie added. "Anyway, enough talking! We've got to go kill the Daleks! They're going to take over the world and exterminate mankind!"

"Yeah!" Izzy cheered. "Can I be Martha?"

"Yeah, sure," Annalise replied. "I'm gonna be Donna. Maddie, you be the Doctor."

"Okay! Allons-y!" And they took off. They had Daleks to face.

* * *

**Hey guys! Here's the first chapter of Flame! What do you think of our new character, Izzy?**

**As always, Love and Ducks to my Lone Shippers, hugs to supporters, thanks to Eleonora, Noe, Hanul, and Kizzie, and cookies for all.**

**Love,**

**Ofelia xxxxx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

"Oh, finally!" Sherlock exclaimed as John and Annalise walked in the door, bursting at the seams with excitement. "Annalise, I have a present for you!"

"Hello to you too, Sherlock," Annalise said in the politely rude manner that never failed to make John laugh. She managed to keep a chastising look on her face for a few moments, but then the prospect of a gift turned her into a typical six-year-old, bouncing up and down and asking "What's my present? What's my present? What's my present?"

"Ahem, how do we ask?" Sherlock raised an eyebrow at the little girl in front of him.

Annalise sighed, rolled her eyes, but then put her arms behind her back, looking up at Sherlock with wide eyes and a little tiny smile, and asked in a sweet, innocent voice, "May I have my present, please?" John had to once again stifle a laugh.

"That face isn't _always_ going to work on me, you know," Sherlock teased as he scooped Annalise into his arms, knowing that delaying her present would annoy her a bit. _Three, two, one_, he counted in his head.

"Sherlock," Annalise whined, right on cue. "I asked nicely."

"That you did," he pretended to sigh in defeat. "But I have to check with John first. John, may I give Annalise her present now? She did ask nicely."

This time, John couldn't hold his laughter back. "Stop torturing her, Sherlock," he chuckled.

"If you say so…" He plopped Annalise down in her favorite chair. "I have to go get it," he grinned, and he headed for his bedroom, stopping to kiss John along the way, irritating his daughter even more, and making sure to take an _extra _long time getting there.

By the time he came down, he had to keep himself from taking a picture of Annalise's face. She was clearly more than a little miffed by the fact that this mystery present had been held over her head for so long. At first he found it a bit surprising that she was acting this way, but then he reminded himself that she was in fact a six-year-old child. "Alright, you've been patient enough," and he handed her her present.

"Is that-" Annalise's eyes widened and she opened the case to reveal a tiny violin, perfect for a six-year-old. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" She ran to Sherlock and hugged him tightly.

"Glad you like it," Sherlock smiled as he lifted Annalise into the air again.

"I love it!" Annalise wrapped her arms tightly around Sherlock's neck. "Will you teach me to play?"

"No," Sherlock said sarcastically. "I got you a little tiny violin just for you to look at it."

"Can you teach me _now_? Please?"

"First homework," John interrupted. "After homework, you can start."

"It's Friday," Annalise reminded him. "No work on Fridays."

"Oh, yes, that's right. Alright."

"Yay!" Annalise began bouncing up and down with excitement. "I'm gonna learn how to play the violin! Maddie and Izzy are gonna think it's soooooo cool…"

* * *

"She's incredibly diligent," John remarked two weeks later when he came downstairs, having just tucked Annalise into bed after her daily half-hour long practice, something she looked forward to greatly. "I never expected a six-year-old to be so intent on practicing." He noticed a look on Sherlock's face he had never seen before. "What?"

"I didn't get her that violin," Sherlock admitted. "It was delivered here, while she was at school. No name, just a typed note that said _Say it's from you_. And that's not just any violin. I'd know it anywhere." He sighed. "That was Lila's first violin, from when she was six."

"Lila played?" John looked at his husband curiously. "You never told me… Anyway, who do you think sent it?"

"I have no idea. All I know is that that violin never left our family. Lila insisted upon keeping it when she outgrew it. She was as diligent as Annalise is, and she _loved _that violin. I always wondered, though, if it stayed at my parents' house or if she took it."

"Well, it probably stayed with your parents, and they must have sent it," John replied. "Only possible answer." Sherlock raised an eyebrow. "Except they didn't love Lila and they probably don't love Annalise all that much, either…"

"Well done; you are getting good at this," Sherlock praised. "Besides, they moved out of that house and gave it to Mycroft. The only two people who might have had that violin are dead."

"Irene?" John suggested. "Maybe Lila took it, and gave it to Irene for safekeeping?" Once again Sherlock raised an eyebrow. "Except… Irene wouldn't hide her identity."

"Precisely. Any other ideas? Honestly. I'm at a loss."

John thought for a moment, and then exclaimed, "Moriarty! Maybe, when Lila ran away, she gave it to Moriarty, and when he faked his death, he kept it… and that could explain not wanting to reveal his identity."

"He's a showoff," Sherlock argued. "He wouldn't want to do that."

"I didn't mean to _you_; I meant to _Annalise_. Maybe he thought you'd realize it was from him, and he didn't want Annalise to know." John gave his own little triumphant smirk. "Wait, no… he's in prison. I don't know how he'd have managed to get ahold of it." John sighed. "Although, he is Jim Moriarty. He's done plenty of impossible things."

"Best answer yet," Sherlock grinned. "It does make sense. But would he really want to hide from Annalise? I'm not sure… It's the only possible answer, though. Mycroft and Lila are the only other options, and they're dead."

"It's not the first time someone's not been dead," John teased.

"No… no, it's not…"

* * *

"A letter for you, Mr. Moriarty." The guard walked in and handed the ex-villain a letter.

He opened it to reveal a photograph of a little redheaded girl, playing a violin in her living room, her two fathers looking on with pride and adoration. The back of the photo had a message:

_They think you sent it._

"Let them think that," Moriarty chuckled. "Oh, let them think that."

* * *

**Hey guys! Here's the next chapter of Flame! The mystery person from the end of Spark returns! Who is it, do you think?**

**As always, Love and Ducks to The Lone Shippers, hugs to supporters, thanks to Eleonora, Noe, Hanul, and Kizzie, and cookies for all.**

**Love,**

**Ofelia xxx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Sherlock? John?" Annalise asked as she put her violin away one Tuesday night. "Can I go to Izzy's house Saturday night? She invited me and Maddie over for a sleepover." Both of her dads let out nearly-inaudible sighs. "Sorry… _may _I go to Izzy's house Saturday night? And I'll practice my violin double."

Both Sherlock and John started laughing. "I think that may be the first time in recorded history that you got something _wrong_, Annalise," John chuckled, scooping his daughter into his lap. "I don't care about the violin or your grammar, although Sherlock might about the grammar." Sherlock shook his head, still laughing. "Apparently not. No, the problem is that Friday night is the one-year anniversary of the night you started staying here, and we were thinking that it could be just the three of us."

"Oh, right! It's September twenty-first!" Annalise grinned broadly. "Yeah, I forgot about that. I'll tell Izzy I can't go."

"You could ask if she could have the sleepover on Friday," John suggested, practical as always. "I don't want you to miss out on time with your friends."

"Okay," Annalise nodded. "That's a good idea. I'll ask Izzy and Maddie tomorrow."

"You don't _have _to make all your plans yourself," John reminded her. "I'll call Alice." He set Annalise down on the couch and walked out of the room to make the call.

A few minutes later, John came back and announced that the sleepover would take place on Friday instead. "Now we can have our special night together _and _you can have fun with your friends."

"Yay!" Annalise began bouncing up and down, her long braid hitting her back over and over. "This is going to be the best weekend _ever_!"

"I'm glad you're excited," Sherlock smiled. "It really has been a brilliant year, hasn't it?" Annalise nodded as she climbed into his lap. He pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head and took the braid out of her hair so that he could play with it. "I love you, Annalise," he said softly.

"I love you too," she whispered into his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

"I love you three," John piped up, walking over to Sherlock's chair.

"Really, John? _I love you three_?" Sherlock rolled his eyes. "You realize that in this case, Annalise meant 'too' as in T-O-O, not T-W-O? Moreover, even if she had, there are only two of us you could love, save for yourself whom you wouldn't address in the second person?"

"It's a _pun_, Sherlock," John sighed.

"Well, it's not a very _good _pun," Sherlock huffed, hugging Annalise closer to him. "Right, Annalise? Not a very good pun?"

"Oh, cut it out, Sherlock," Annalise teased, squirming a bit in his arms. "John was _trying_ to be clever. He failed, but we should at least applaud his effort." She grinned cheekily at John, who was now glaring at both of them.

"I swear, you're way too much like your father," John muttered. "Was Lila like this too?"

"Mother and father and Mycroft hated us for a _reason_, John," Sherlock explained.

"Well, I don't," John sighed. "I love you both beyond words. That doesn't mean you don't drive me _insane_ sometimes."

"Love you too, John," Annalise said with her sweetest smile, reaching out to him with her skinny little arms.

"God," John mused as he took Annalise from Sherlock's lap. "If someone told me a year ago that in a year's time I'd have a husband and a six-year-old daughter, I'd have called them crazy."

"Me too," Sherlock replied, a bit sad that he was no longer holding Annalise but deciding not to fight it as he knew Annalise would want to be passed back soon.

"If someone told me a year ago I'd have parents, I'd have probably punched them," Annalise added. "I thought I'd be living on the streets forever."

"Oh, Annalise," John said sadly. "I'm _so _glad we found you, love. I don't know how I could ever live without you." He sat down on his favorite couch, Annalise still in his arms, and gently rocked her back and forth, relishing in the feeling of getting to hold his child - _his child _- and look over at his husband, smiling softly at the two of them for a few moments before walking over himself and wrapping his long arms around both of them. A few moments later, Rose walked into the room and jumped up onto Annalise's lap, the little kitty's favorite place on the planet, and purred contentedly as Annalise's small, pale hand stroked her white fur.

They sat that way for quite some time, and eventually Annalise fell asleep in John's lap.

"Okay, Rose, time to get off," Sherlock said softly. She didn't move. "Rose," Sherlock said more firmly. "Get off of Annalise's lap." Still she stayed put. "Ugh… What's that thing that Annalise always says to you… it's a Doctor Who thing and it's French… Oh, that's right. Rose, _allons-y_." Instantly Rose jumped off of Annalise's lap and followed Sherlock upstairs, John just behind them with Annalise in his arms.

* * *

"I really can't believe it's been a year," John said quietly as he sat down on the couch.. "And she's grown up so much."

"She has," Sherlock agreed. "I remember when we first saw her, she was so short and skinny and weak. She had a hurt leg, didn't she?"

"It wasn't a bad injury, just a painful one," John explained. "Anyway, I remember her little face the most. She was so afraid, and I remember she was trying to hide it with her little deduction game with you, but behind it she was so scared. I remember being worried that you wouldn't… you'd be…"

"Unappreciative of the fact that she had feelings?" John nodded. "I was too. I liked her from the start, and I didn't want to hurt her."

"She already reminded you of Lila, didn't she?" John grinned, knowing that he was right.

"I remember first seeing her across the street, and I swear I thought I was seeing a ghost. It almost hurt knowing that Annalise was real, and then when she started acting so much like Lila… I cried for hours that night, John. The last time I cried was just after The Jump, when I was missing you, and before that I hadn't cried since I'd found out she'd run away."

"Oh, Sherlock," John murmured, the smile dropped in an instant. He brushed his lips against Sherlock's, resting a hand on the detective's cheek. "When did you realize she was Lila's daughter?" he asked as he pulled away.

"She was singing in her room one day, some song she'd heard on the radio I guess, and I'd never heard anyone sing like that except Lila." A tear formed in his eye. "And then it all clicked, that she had to be Lila's, that there was nobody else on the planet who could be her mother." He sighed softly. "I miss her…"

"I know," John replied gently, playing with one of Sherlock's curls. "But let's not think about it now. Let's think about what we're going to do on Friday night, alright?"

"Alright," Sherlock smiled. "I wonder what Annalise would want to do…"

* * *

"I want to see Moriarty," Annalise said Saturday morning over breakfast.

Sherlock and John each gasped in surprise. "You _what_?!" John exclaimed.

"I. Want. To. See. Moriarty," Annalise repeated, very slowly.

"You want to see Moriarty?" John's expression was almost comical.

"Yes, I believe I've said that twice now." _Holy crap she sounds just like me, _Sherlock thought.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Annalise," John replied. "Really, I don't. No. It's an awful idea and I won't let you do that. Especially not on our special day."

"It's my special day too!" she argued. "And that's what I want to do. I want to see him. He's an awful man but he's my biological father and _I want to see him_." She crossed her arms over her chest, her blue eyes raging with fury.

John sighed. "Sherlock, what do you think?"

"It's not dangerous," he mused. "Moriarty's behind bars and on watch; he can't hurt her."

"Physically, no, he can't. But can she really handle it emotionally?"

"I'm right here," Annalise muttered.

"Annalise," John said, turning to meet her eyes, "you're six years old. I don't think-"

"He wouldn't _be _behind bars if not for me and you know that!" she retorted, and with that she stormed from the table. "Rose, _allons-y_," she huffed, and she and Rose went upstairs. The last thing Sherlock and John could hear was her door slamming.

John walked over to the couch and sank into it, beckoning for Sherlock to join him. "I don't understand it," he whispered, knowing Annalise might be listening. "Why does she want to see him all of a sudden?"

"I don't think it's all of a sudden," Sherlock said, shaking his head. "I think she's wanted to for quite some time and just has been waiting for an opportune time to argue that she should be allowed to."

"Well, you'd know." John thought for a few moments. "And she makes a good point; she's proven herself able to handle him, and that was in a far more dangerous situation than this would be." He sighed again. "What other arguments do you think she has? She wouldn't have just one; she's too smart for that."

"Actually, she's already made three, and they're all strong," Sherlock replied. "One, the fact that it's technically her special day as well as ours as a whole. Two, the fact that she can handle him. And three, that he's her biological father. The first two I can counter-argue. Yes, it's technically her special day, but that doesn't mean she can have anything she wants. Yes, she's 'handled him' once, but she shouldn't have to 'handle him' again; it's not healthy. The third one is where we have a problem."

"How so?" John asked.

"Well, he's her biological father. If I know her, and I do, she's on her iPhone right now trying to prove that we legally can't keep her from seeing him. Probably talking to Rose about it; that cat's basically her version of my skull."

"But he's a _criminal_!" John exclaimed. "He's not safe to be around children! I'm sure whatever law she digs up says that in that case we have every right to keep her from him."

"Trust me, Annalise _can_ and _will_ find a loophole. I don't know the law off the top of my head, but I'm pretty sure that his being in jail makes it a supervised visit." Sherlock shook his head. "She's got us in a corner, John. You know full well that she does."

"Hold on," John said, raising a hand. "I agree, she'll find a way for it to be legally safe to see him. That doesn't mean we can't keep her from doing it."

"I don't know all the laws, but I do know that if she can prove it safe, we can't; it's a form of child abuse. We're stuck."

John sighed again. "Okay," he said softly. "I really think it's an awful idea, but I don't want to lose her."

"We wouldn't," Sherlock reassured him. "There's no way anyone would take her from us. But I think it would change how she sees us and it's probably worse for her that that happens than if we let her see him."

"Well, I suppose that's it, then…" John clenched his teeth. "You go on and tell her… I don't think I could." Sherlock nodded and went upstairs.

A few moments later, Sherlock came down the stairs with Annalise in his arms. "You promise you'll be careful?" he asked.

"I've said it like six times now, _yes_." Annalise rolled her eyes.

"You're insane," John muttered.

"It's genetic," Annalise grinned. "Crazy on both sides."

John: "You can say that again."

Annalise: "Crazy on both sides."

John: "You're _so _a Holmes."

Annalise: "Thank you, Captain Obvious."

Sherlock: "Let's go."

Annalise: "Let's go."

John: "Fine."

* * *

"We're here to see Jim Moriarty," Sherlock said to the man at the desk. _43 years old, married for 5 years to a woman - no, _man _- whose name starts with a G, smokes frequently…_

"Are you family?" the man asked.

"Yes," Annalise piped up. "I'm his biological daughter. Annalise Watson-Holmes. Look me up if you so choose. Or, y'know, ask him."

"How old are you?" the man asked.

"Six," she replied.

"I really don't think I can let you see him; you're quite young."

"Is there a law or policy that says I _can't_ see him?" Annalise asked.

"No, but-"

"Sherlock, pick me up for a minute," Annalise interrupted. "I want to talk to this guy properly." Sherlock obliged her and she looked the man right in the face. "Jim Moriarty has done some pretty awful things. Created a fake identity to discredit an honest man-" she pointed at Sherlock "-murdered a high-profile government official, a.k.a. Mycroft Holmes, a.k.a. my uncle, a.k.a. an absolute ass. Anyway, he even helped Irene Adler with one of her scandals. Have you heard of her? Look her up; she should be behind bars for life but I can promise you she never will be 'cause you'll never catch her. As far as criminals go, Moriarty's the king of the lot. But I'll tell you one thing," Annalise said firmly. "He will _never _hurt me. Ever. End of story."

"What did you say your name was again? Annabelle?" He of course pronounced it normally.

"Annalise, with a long ah, not that you care," she muttered.

"You're six years old. I really can't let you."

Annalise sighed. "Y'know what, sir? I'm done being nice. Sherlock, if you wouldn't mind putting me down…" He put her down, and she pulled out her iPhone and began typing in commands. "If you look to your cursor, you'll notice that it's moving on its own. That's me hacking your secure network. Now I've got his cell number, now I've got a map reference, now I've got the code to get into his cell, and now, because you're grumpy, I'm going to post the drunk selfies you took last night on Facebook, something that I'm guessing isn't allowed on-site. Honestly, how drunk _were _you?"

Sherlock and John were holding back laughter. Annalise remained completely serious. "Sherlock, do me a favor and save the map reference. The cell number and code I can remember." She showed Sherlock the iPhone and watched as his expression turned to the "saving-in-the-mind-palace" one she knew quite well.

"Got it."

"Excellent." Annalise took the phone from Sherlock and began typing in commands once again.

"What the hell are you doing now?" the guard asked.

"Excuse me, but did you just swear in front of my six-year-old daughter?" John glared at the man despite the fact that he couldn't care less.

He flushed. "Right-sorry-_what are you doing?_"

"Thanking Apple for iCloud," Annalise muttered. He looked at her confusedly. "I'm wiping my phone of everything. No texts, no pictures, no apps, no contacts, nothing. Brand-new device, or so it'll seem, and when I get home, I'll redownload everything - hence thanking Apple."

"And what's the point of that?"

"Wiping the phone means wiping the evidence that I hacked you. Obviously."

The guard smirked in triumph. "But that means you don't have the information anymore."

"Oh? Cell 281-C and the code is 143970546." She smirked right back.

The guard checked the record and his face turned red. "How the _hell_-"

"Photographic memory. Any other stupid questions?" He said nothing. "Thought so. If you wouldn't mind letting us through the gate - I didn't bother to save that code - we'll be on our way." The man flashed his ID card at the gate and Annalise led her dads through. "I do wish…" She trailed off as she realized that making a point about Mycroft's death was a bit not-good.

"Me too," Sherlock said softly, taking her hand. "I would love to see his face when he tries to tell his boss that a six-year-old hacked the records."

They walked for a few minutes down the hall before they were stopped by a woman whose name was Meg, according to her name tag. "You aren't allowed to walk through the facility without a wristband saying you cleared security."

"Oh, really?" Sherlock feigned ignorance. "The man at the front desk didn't say so. Would you mind escorting us?"

"He didn't? I'll make sure someone talks to him. My apologies."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Sherlock said emphatically. "Don't want him to get in trouble."

"It's really a major offense," Meg explained. "We can't have visitors walking around; it's not safe. Not that I think any of you are dangerous, or anything." She smiled down at Annalise, who smiled right back. Sherlock and John had to once again stifle laughter.

* * *

"Mr. Moriarty, you have a visitor."

"Hello again." His back was turned, but she could tell he was smiling.

"I've never been here before."

He gasped. "Annalise?"

"No, some other random six-year-old." She rolled her eyes and walked in. Sherlock and John made to follow her, but she shook her head and they stayed out. "Do they treat you well here?"

"You care?" He was surprised.

"You did put me into this world," Annalise mused. She took a seat on the floor. "Well, how do they treat you?"

"Well enough. Hardly _good_, though."

"You're a criminal," Annalise pointed out. "You're used to things not being good."

"You're just like her," he sighed. "She will outlive God trying to have the last word."

"Funny thing, John said the same thing about Sherlock once. To Irene." She chuckled.

"Did he?" A trace of a smirk played on his face.

"Don't let yourself think you're a thing similar." The smirk fell.

"We're both your dad," he argued.

"I said you put me into the world. Doesn't make you my dad. I hardly count Lila as my mum."

Moriarty's teeth clenched, but then he relaxed and grinned conspiratorially. "Want to hear a secret, Annalise?" Annalise shook her head. "Come on, you want to know."

_Don't_, Annalise thought. But she was six. And six-year-olds like secrets.

"Fine. Tell me." She walked over to his side and listened as he whispered.

"No!" she shouted. "You're _lying_!" Tears formed in her eyes. "You're lying, you're lying."

"Annalise-" he started, but she fled from the cell.

"Sherlock," she sobbed as she flew into his arms.

"I've got you," Sherlock said softly. "Stay with John for a minute, alright?" He walked into the cell.

"Moriarty," he seethed. "I don't know what you just said, but you upset my daughter and I will not have it."

"I wasn't lying." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I didn't mean to upset her. I just told her the truth."

"Then tell me." He walked over to Moriarty's side and let him tell the secret. "Impossible. That's impossible. Fuck you."

"Not interested," Moriarty muttered as Sherlock left the cell.

"What is it?" John asked as Sherlock came out. "Someone tell me what he said."

Sherlock sighed. "He said that Lila's alive."

* * *

**Hey guys! Cliffie, yay! Well, yay for me. Probably not yay for you.**

**Poll time! Poll 1: Who's the dark-hooded person? Is it A: Lila, B: Mycroft, or C: someone else? Poll 2: Is Lila alive, yes or no? **

**You know that Moriarty knows who it is. You know that he told Annalise, Sherlock, and John that Lila's alive. He might be telling the truth. That doesn't necessarily make her the dark-hooded figure. He might be lying. That doesn't necessarily mean she's not alive; he might just not know better. Perhaps neither of them are alive. Perhaps both of them are alive. Perhaps they're all under hypnotic influence and thus they don't know what they're saying. Maybe Lila or Mycroft or both are responsible for said hypnotic influence. Maybe someone else is. Maybe there's a Wholock crossover. Or a CassieVerse crossover. Or both. Or neither. Or maybe I'm just making up stuff to confuse you. Or maybe I'm not.**

**You all hate me. Yay.**

**As always, love and ducks to The Lone Shippers, hugs to supporters, thanks to Eleonora, Noe, Hanul and Kizzie, and cookies for all!**

**Love,**

**Ofelia xxx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four:**

"Have a good day!" John called after Annalise as she, Maddie, and Izzy walked through the front door. Annalise turned and waved.

"I can't wait to see how our larvae are doing," Annalise said excitedly as they walked down the hallway. They were studying butterflies in science, and each student had their own larva to observe and take notes on in their journals. "I looked it up in the Library; they should be just beginning to form a chrysalis."

"You weren't supposed to look it up, Annalise!" Izzy exclaimed. "That ruins the whole thing."

"She means in _her _Library," Maddie explained. "It's in her head. It's like a storage system for information. That's how she knows so much."

"Right, I remember," Izzy nodded.

"Then again," Maddie mused, raising an eyebrow at her friend, "you didn't _have_ to go looking for it; I'm sure the life cycle of a painted lady butterfly wasn't in the forefront of your mind. Or is Sherlock working on some case? A Study in Insects?"

"He might've been," Annalise argued. "You never know."

Maddie sighed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just don't tell the others and ruin it, alright?"

"I won't," Annalise promised as they walked into the classroom.

"What won't you do?" Annalise turned to see Ms. Pallister to her left, a slight smile on her face. "What trouble have you gotten into this time?"

"She already knows the butterfly life cycle," Maddie explained. "I was telling her not to tell anyone and ruin it."

"Just like my fiance," Ms. Pallister sighed. "Always ruining things."

"Still worth it," Annalise shrugged.

"Still worth it. But still. A bit annoying."

"And it's not the only annoying thing about him, is it?" Annalise smirked. "Won't cut you a break."

"And that's enough from you," Ms. Pallister muttered. "What have I gotten into?"

"Anatomically impossible," Annalise muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Annalise said innocently. "Let's go check out our larvae."

"You need to stop that!" Maddie chastised. "I'm not sure what you were saying there, but honestly, you need to cut it out!" Annalise said nothing. "And she's not listening."

"There's someone watching us," she said softly.

Maddie turned around to see Ethan, a boy with dark brown hair and brown eyes. "Oh my God, you scared me. I thought-Hi, Ethan."

"Annalise?" Ethan asked hesitantly. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Annalise blushed. "Um…"

"You're so smart, and pretty," he explained. "Please, will you be my girlfriend?" Izzy and Maddie started laughing. "Stop it! It isn't funny!"

"I don't know," Annalise sighed. "I think I'm too young to have a boyfriend. John and Sherlock probably wouldn't like it."

"I understand," Ethan said sadly. "Can we be friends?"

"Sure," Annalise grinned. "I'm having Izzy and Maddie over after school; I'll ask if you can come too."

"Yay!" Ethan grinned. "I can't wait! I haven't seen _Doctor Who _in forever."

"Alright then! I'll ask them if you can come. You can play with us on the playground, too. We usually play on the merry-go-round."

"I know," Ethan nodded. "I'm going to go to the book corner. I'll see you later!"

"See you later," Annalise grinned.

"That was interesting," Izzy said softly once Ethan was out of earshot.

"Definitely interesting," Maddie agreed.

* * *

**Hey guys! Sorry for the slow update; I've been uber busy. So, we have Ethan! What do you guys think of him?**

**Remember to check my profile for details on What the Fluff, and read all of the cool stories I'm working on!**

**As always, love and ducks to the Lone Shippers, hugs to supporters, thanks to Eleonora, Noe, Hanul, and Kizzie, and cookies for all!**

**Love,**

**Ofelia xxx**


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